Anton Invests In The Community

As a service to the community, Anton Media Group provides newspapers free of charge to teachers around Long Island for use in the classroom. Our Newspaper In Education (NIE) initiative connects local students to their communities while strengthening their education.

Several studies show that children who regularly read a newspaper demonstrate significant gains in reading skills. Used as an instructional tool in any grade level, newspapers reinforce lessons in language arts, social studies, math and science.

Iris McKenna is a special education teacher in the Skills Program at Division Avenue High School in Levittown. McKenna said adding the Levittown Tribune to her classroom curriculum expands learning beyond textbooks and into the real world, while helping her students grasp new ideas and concepts.

“We’ve enjoyed looking through the Tribune, picking out a story or two and working on vocabulary and comprehension,” she said. “It is another practical way for reading skills to be incorporated into everyday activities. We also enjoy working on the word searches.”

The range of activities that can be completed with only one copy of a weekly newspaper is almost limitless. For example, teachers of younger grades can initiate a scavenger hunt for words and images found within the pages. Middle-schoolers can use the paper as a source in an essay about a town historical event. High school students can browse the classified ads and conduct mock interviews with one another—practicing a necessary life skill.

Learning about current events will spark interesting topics of conversation between teachers and students, not to mention the important lesson kids will learn about recycling when it comes time to dispose of the papers.

At Jericho High School, both journalism and non-journalism students utilize the Syosset-Jericho Tribune. Suzanne Valenza, English teacher and advisor for the JerEcho, the school’s award-winning online newspaper, said that the newspaper is a crucial part of her students’ learning experience.

“As a journalism teacher, it is essential for my students to keep informed about local news, not only to increase their knowledge base, but also as a model for why society needs journalists. In addition, the weekly paper helps set standards for news reporting and coverage that my journalism students try to emulate in their high school paper,” she said. “For non-journalism students, having the Tribune in our classrooms helps get conversations going about the community and the school’s role in it. Students become informed and engaged in local politics, community events, and sports. They take pride in the accomplishments of their peers and neighbors.”

In addition to utilizing the community news throughout the newspapers, this school year Anton Media Group will provide dedicated educational content in every issue of the publication’s family of newspapers. This content will take the form of lesson plans built by editors at Anton focusing on a new subject each month.

At a time when resources are few and far between, Anton Media Group’s weekly newspapers can be an invaluable asset to the classroom. Educators, sign up today by calling 516-747-8282.